Talk about déjà vu! For the second time in just two days, Rep. Jim Jordan’s hopes of wielding the gavel in the House have been dashed. The Ohio Republican, notorious for his far-right stances and unwavering loyalty to former President Donald Trump, fell short of the votes needed. Again.
After a rather cringe-worthy first vote on Tuesday, where 20 of his fellow Republicans gave him the cold shoulder, Jordan spent nearly 24 hours trying to sweet-talk his way to the top. But, oops, he did it again – in the Wednesday re-vote, 22 Republicans decided he wasn’t their guy. As they say, fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice…well, you know the rest.
Adding salt to Jordan’s wounded ego, every single one of the 212 Democrats present chose their leader, Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, over him. The final tally? Jordan ended up with a mere 199 votes, a whole 18 votes shy of the magic 217.
Now, what led to this embarrassing re-run? Besides Jordan’s, let’s say, eccentric viewpoints (which include some out-there conspiracy theories and a sprinkling of Trump worship), his methods of persuasion were a tad… aggressive. There were whispers in the Capitol halls about threats, not friendly promises, coming from Team Jordan. “Support Jim, or risk your seat.” Heck, one legislator claimed threats reached his wife. Yikes!
Jordan did try to save face. He turned to X (our modern-day Twitter, for those not in the loop) to spread a message of unity. “Let’s hug it out, guys!” Okay, he didn’t say that exactly, but that was the gist. However, the damage was done, and Jordan’s peace offering fell on deaf ears.
Here’s a fun fact: The House has been without a speaker for 15 days now. It all started when Rep. Kevin McCarthy got the boot for daring to cooperate with Democrats (oh, the horror!) on funding the government. Now, with two failed votes, some Republicans fear this might be the end of the road for Jordan. The whispers are growing louder, suggesting that Jordan’s chances of rallying support are dwindling. The silver lining? Maybe this gives Rep. Patrick McHenry, the current speaker pro tempore, a shot at driving some legislation. One can hope, right?
As for what’s next, Jordan’s team remains defiant, hinting at a third ballot. Their game plan? Still a mystery. But as any baseball fan will tell you, three strikes and you’re out! And right now, Jordan’s already got two. Swing and a miss, Jim! Swing and a miss.
